It's Not Easy Trying To Talk To A Lady
by EmmaShalforever
Summary: Henry notices the way his mom and the Mayor interact. And he's okay with that. If only he could get his mom to admit it and stop putting her foot in her mouth.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Apparently, my muse decided to jump on the bandwagon of stories where memoryless Henry jumps to conclusions and chaos ensues.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters and make no profit.

* * *

"Mom!"

Emma whipped her head to the side and down so she could look at her son who was currently giving her a pointed look, all raised eyebrows and tight lips; a mirror image of his adoptive mother, only he didn't remember that.

"What?"

"You're staring."

"So?" she asked defensively. She wasn't gonna give anything away until she knew what conclusions Henry had made of her behavior. Her son merely folded his arms and gave her an even further pointed look - if that was even possible.

"You were _staring_, mom!"

Emma released a frustrated breath as she watched the man's retreating back. "Well I can't help it. There's something fishy about him."

"Are you sure it's not just your jealousy speaking?" Confused green eyes shot to brown ones filled with mirth. "You know, because he's interested in your woman."

Emma's mouth dropped open in shock and she choked on her own spit. "My…woman?" she croaked, eyes narrowing warningly at her son when he looked far too pleased by her reaction.

"The Mayor, Regina."

She gaped at him. "I…Reg-my wom…what?" Emma shook her head as she forced herself to find something sensible to say. "I don't know what kind of lies she's been filling your head with, but she's _not_ my woman."

Henry frowned up at her. "But you want her to be, right? I see the way you look at each other, how you act around her."

"Henry," Emma said with a sigh, but he clearly wasn't done, his mind made up.

"Is that why you said no to Walsh? Is she why we're here? It's okay, you know, to like Regina, I don't mind," he spewed excitedly, his eyes dancing as he watched how flabbergasted she looked.

Emma tried to respond, she really did, but all that came out was a sort of squeak as her mouth just opened and closed unintelligently. What the hell did you say to your son when he just dropped something like that on you? Regina and her, together? Preposterous. Right?

"I think he's more than he pretends to be," she finally offered Henry, opting for the evasive tactic. "And _not_ just because of Regina," she told him pointedly when he opened his mouth to retort, earning her a sullen look.

* * *

"We need to talk," Emma breathed out through clenched teeth, taking a firm hold of the other woman's arm and forcefully dragging her away.

"What-Miss Swan, unhand me this instant," Regina demanded as she pushed at the blonde's collarbone to get out of her grip. Emma released her with a push inside the empty hallway of the diner, almost feeling guilty when the Mayor stumbled for a moment before she managed to get her bearings.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Emma released a low warning growl as she stepped into the brunette's personal space. "I know you want to see Henry, but telling him we're lovers? That's unacceptable."

Regina's eyes widened in surprise at the words. "Excuse me? I've said no such thing. What are you talking about? What do you mean he thinks we're _lovers_?"

Emma searched dark pools for any kind of deceit, but saw only genuine confusion and anger in them. Feeling her own anger melt away she released a heavy breath before taking a step back to allow some space between them.

"You really haven't told him anything?"

Regina shot her an impatient look. "Told him _what_ exactly?"

"Wow, okay, this could get awkward," Emma offered as she scratched at her neck and tried to figure out the easiest way to approach the subject. She needed to put it delicately, to ease the Mayor into this, or else she feared she might get incinerated or something. "It seems our son has gotten it into his head that there's a thing between us and that's why we're in Storybrooke." Oh yeah, that was smooth. Way to choose her words carefully.

Regina looked entirely too cute when she was confused. Emma was pretty sure she shouldn't find anything Regina did cute at all. "A thing?"

"Yeah, you know, _a thing._"

Regina stared blankly at her for a very long moment before realization dawned and her jaw went slack. "Wha-why would he think that?"

Emma laughed awkwardly. "I don't know. He mentioned looks and behaviors and…stuff."

Regina glared at her. "Stuff…? Always so eloquent, Miss Swan."

Emma just shrugged her shoulders helplessly. This was turning into one of the more embarrassing conversations in her life. And she'd experienced a few.

"Well, I'm assuming you set things straight?"

A thunderous look was sent her way at her sheepish look that admitted her failure to do so. "I thought you'd said something to him," Emma tried to defend herself. "And what was I supposed to say anway? The kid completely blindsided me with his crazy theory."

"You could have said he was wrong for one."

"I'll do that next time I see him," Emma offered a little sullenly. Was it really that unthinkable to be with her? She wasn't the worst catch there was, certainly not in this town. "It would be a plausible excuse for you to see him though." She didn't realize she'd thought that out loud before the look of incredulity on the Mayor's face registered.

"You think we should let him believe we're _together_?" Regina asked in disbelief before she lifted her chin proudly. "You really think I'd fall for someone like _you_?"

"Hey," Emma countered immediately, offended. "You could do a lot worse, you know." Regina pointedly let her eyes roam over the blonde before she released a haughty sniff and Emma crossed her arms defensively. "Besides, how many people would fall for the Evil Queen?"

She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Regina's whole body stiffened and her face grew impassive, eyes cold and lips turning into a sneer. "Shit, Regina, I didn't mean-"

"Indeed. Tell Henry whatever let's you sleep at night, I don't care" the Mayor offered coldly, blowing off any pitiful excuse Emma could make as she walked away without so much as a glance back.

Emma bit her lip as she watched the woman retreat before releasing a heavy breath. Yeah, that went well. Things were about to get a lot more awkward for her from now on, she had no doubt Regina would make sure of it. A woman scorned and all that.

"Well, fuck."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Beta'ed by yoanagf, but in the end, all mistakes are my own.

* * *

"Wow, what did you do?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, voice gruff as she practically stuffed her face with her hot chocolate and refused to look at anyone.

"I mean, Regina is more or less trying to incinerate you with her eyes and everything was fine yesterday." The blonde's only answer was a dismissive grunt as she pretended to read the menu.

"Mo-om!" Henry whined as he kicked her under the table.

"Ouch, jeez kid, give me a break. Why is it always _my_ fault? Maybe she's the one who did something." Henry cocked his head to the side and raised his brows at her. Emma glared right back at him before releasing an annoyed huff and offering a mumbled "whatever."

"You need to make it up to her. Buy her flowers or something."

The blonde released a snort at his suggestion. Showing up at the Mayoral mansion with flowers would be beyond awkward. And besides, Regina would most likely just throw them back at her face. Or incinerate them. No way was she doing that.

* * *

"Hi," Emma said with a small wave before she presented her offering to the woman staring down at her looking annoyed and wholly unimpressed.

"Really?" Regina asked, arms crossing and one perfect eyebrow rising as she looked at the bouquet of flowers held out towards her. Her lips turned slightly upwards at the corners when she noticed the blonde's uncomfortable expression.

"It was Henry's idea." Emma informed as she pressed the arrangement a little further forwards, hoping the Mayor would take the hint. The woman sent her an amused smirk, but refused to reach out and take her gift.

"You think one bouquet will make everything okay? What are you, a man? Honestly, it's like you're not even trying."

Emma felt her cheeks grow warm at the teasing at her expense. "Just take the fucking flowers, Regina," she growled as she pushed them aggressively against the woman before stomping angrily past her. She heard the Mayor sigh before the door closed, and watched as the woman languidly made her way to the kitchen, ignoring the blonde's presence.

Emma growled when she realized she was actually pouting at being overlooked and stormed after the woman with a frown.

"Okay, here's the thing," she exclaimed hotly, teeth grinding together when Regina barely gave any reaction to her outburst at all. "I'm doing this for _you_." The Mayor stopped what she was doing briefly to send her a doubtful expression before going back to carefully arranging the flowers. "I'm trying to make this shit easier for you or whatever, because I know it hurts that he can't remember you, so the least you could do is show a little fucking gratitude and stop acting like such a bitch."

Hands slammed down aggressively against the counter before Regina rounded on the blonde.

"You think you know how it feels? To raise a child, care for him, live only for him, for eleven years and then give him up, knowing you'll never see him again? And then, against all hope, he shows up, but you've missed a year of his life and he can't even remember that you're the one who made sure he never lacked for anything? To see him look at _you_ and remember all the things that _I_ did for him? You have _no idea_ how I feel."

Emma swallowed hard and raised her hands slightly in surrender. "You're right, I don't know," she said, voice softer as she watched Regina force the anger and pain from her face. The anguish in her eyes couldn't be concealed though and it settled itself tightly around Emma's chest. "But I do know that it wasn't easy to give him away so he could get his best chance. To wonder how he looked, if he was happy."

Regina released a sigh and turned back to the bouquet. "What do you want, Emma?"

"I don't know, okay? I just know that what I said to you yesterday was…well, kinda shitty and Henry told me to bring you flowers because that's what people do when they're…you know."

"So you've decided to use that as an excuse then?"

Emma looked intently at the brunette's back, trying to gauge if she appeared angry or pleased with it, but found nothing that could give her an indication of what the right answer would be.

"Well, apparently it's what makes sense to him and it would give us the perfect excuse to spend time together as we try to get his memories back, but I don't know." The blonde shrugged. "What do you want?"

Regina didn't answer for a long time, finishing the flowers and throwing away the ends she'd cut off before washing her hands. Finally she turned to face the sheriff.

"_Are_ we trying to get his memories back?"

Emma's brows furrowed in confusion. "Of course we are, why wouldn't we?"

Regina's gaze was hard and contemplative, making the blonde fiddle uncomfortably with the hem of the jacket that she hadn't actually taken off.

"You both had a good life in New York, right? Once my sister is defeated, there's nothing stopping you from going back there. You could have Henry all to yourself."

"Maybe, but there's one problem with that."

"Oh?"

"It would be a lie and I'd remember. And no matter how much crazy shit you've pulled, I'm not gonna break the promise I made to you. I'm not gonna take Henry away."

Regina didn't look wholly convinced, but she offered no rebuttal either, just studied the blonde intently and Emma squirmed internally under the intense gaze.

"You really want to go through with this?"

The sheriff's brows furrowed in confusion. "Go through with wha- never mind – if you're okay with it, yes. I think it'll be easier to build on Henry's assumptions than trying to figure out another lie that will be convincing enough to him."

Emma watched Regina purse her lips and briefly wished she could read minds so she could figure out what the woman was planning.

"Fine. I guess I'm curious to see how you will go about courting me."

"Wait, what?" Emma choked out, scowling at the far too amused smirk on Regina's lips at her reaction.

"Well, it's clear that you'll be the man in the relationship," the brunette offered with a condescending sort of snort. "Do you honestly picture me trying to woo you?"

If possible Emma's scowl deepened. "No one is the man, isn't that sort of the whole point of two women being together? And for the record, can I just say that I think you're being entirely presumptuous and prejudiced?"

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Regina offered with a smile that was all teeth and Emma couldn't help but swallow heavily because oh boy what had she just gotten herself into?


	3. Chapter 3

"Have you asked her yet?" Henry questioned impatiently, plopping down next to his mom and stealing a piece of her eggs.

"Hey, get your own," Emma mock yelled at him before signaling Ruby. "Asked her what?" she added absentmindedly, not fully awake yet.

"Asked Regina on a date?"

Emma barely managed to not choke on her food and silently berated herself because by now she should be expecting her son to catch her off guard. He'd certainly done it enough times lately.

"What's the rush? I'm starting to think _you_ want to ask her out."

Henry wrinkled his nose before sending her a mock angry look when she stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. "I just want you to be happy, mom, and I know how you can be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked with a frown, silently telling the kid to explain.

Henry shrugged his shoulders and adopted a sheepish look. He didn't want his mom to get mad at him. "I know that my dad hurt you and it's made you wary. So I'm, like, the Albert to your Bruce, making sure you stay grounded and giving you a good kick in the butt when you need it."

"Smartass," Emma said as she flicked at his ear, pretending to be annoyed to hide how sappy his obvious care for her made her feel. The kid was so damn good. A flicker of sadness blossomed in her chest as she realized that now that she had her real memories back she knew that he hadn't turned out this good because of her. Regina, a woman supposed to be evil, had raised him to be this adorable, kind, smart boy.

Henry just grinned at her, digging hungrily into his own breakfast as soon as Ruby brought it over.

* * *

"Hi!"

Regina's head snapped up at the familiar voice and she smiled wide even as she felt her heart break at her inability to reach out for her son.

"Hello, Henry," she greeted politely, still not sure how to act around the child she'd raised, but whom didn't remember her. She couldn't imagine she'd ever get used to it. "Are you here alone?" she inquired when she looked around and realized neither Emma nor the Charmings were with him.

"I'm waiting for my mom to pick me up," he offered her with a shrug. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course," Regina replied quickly, haphazardly shoving aside the paper she'd been reading before gesturing to the seat opposite her own. "Sit, please."

Henry slumped down in a move he hoped came off as casual.

"What do you want to talk about?" Regina asked as she gave her son her full attention.

"Well," he started, biting his lip almost shyly for a moment. "My mom."

Regina's smile faltered for the briefest moment at the title not directed at herself coming from her son's lips. Then she forced all the sadness away. "Oh, is something wrong?"

"Well, no, nothing's really wrong," he started, brows furrowing as he considered what to say. "Okay, so here's the thing-" Henry tried again, only to stop abruptly, biting his lip before releasing a frustrated breath.

"Just go easy on her okay? She has this habit of putting her foot in her mouth and embarrassing herself. But she really likes you so please give her a chance."

"What makes you say that she likes me, Henry?" Regina asked him, voice as neutral as she could manage since she didn't know what Emma had said to him.

The boy frowned thoughtfully as he tried to think of the best way to explain it. "I'm not sure how to make you understand, but it's just in the way she acts. I know her, she's my mom, you know? And it's different with you then it was with Walsh. My mom has spent most of her life being a hard-ass, but when she's with you or she talks about you…it's like she goes kinda…soft…" He scrunched his nose like he found the whole thing utterly silly and nauseating.

Regina gave him a slightly amused smile. "Well, I can't really go easy on her when she hasn't even asked me out yet."

"But she will. Soon," Henry promised with a somewhat pleased smile that the mayor didn't really know how to interpret. Was her son really that interested in seeing the two of them get together? Sure, Emma had told her what he thought, but to see his excitement and enthusiasm for herself made her heart simultaneously beat faster and drop to her stomach.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see what happens, won't we," she finally answered him with a wide smile.

* * *

_My office. NOW!_

Emma felt her throat go dry as she read the three words on her phone. She had no idea what she'd done wrong this time, but Regina's anger was practically seeping through her cell and covering her in a blanket of worry.

Like she didn't have enough shit going on already; now she had to get a lashing from the mayor as well.

With a loud groan she threw her head back and closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down and brace herself before she did a one-eighty and started making her way towards Town Hall. There was no point in dragging out the inevitable.

* * *

"Hey, Regina, what's going-"

"I can't do it," the brunette exclaimed as soon as Emma was through the door. She closed the door carefully after herself before turning to the frazzled looking woman.

"Can't do what?"

"It was a bad idea, I should never have said yes. I blame your idiocy. Clearly I must have temporarily lost my mind-"

Emma threw up her hand to stop Regina's rambling. "Whoa, slow down. What are we talking about? What's going on?"

The mayor looked up at her with wide eyes. "This. Us. Pretending to be together. I don't know why I didn't shoot down the suggestion immediately, I should know better-"

"Okay, Regina, just stop," Emma half shouted, not quite believing what she was seeing. "Tell me what happened so I can understand why you're freaking out."

The brunette sent her a scolding look as she quickly composed herself. "I am the mayor; I am a Queen, I do _not_ 'freak out'."

Emma simply rolled her eyes and folded her arms to show her how unimpressed she was with _that_ statement as she waited for the other woman to explain her sudden cold feet.

"I can't lie to Henry, Emma," Regina pleaded to her a little desperately. Surely the sheriff had to see reason. "This Henry may be okay with his mom getting together with the mayor of a small town, but _my_ Henry would never be okay with the Savior and the Evil Queen. Lying to him is what caused him to pull away from me in the first place and I just can't…I can't go through that again."

She hated the pity that shone in green eyes at her pleading voice. So when Emma opened her mouth to offer a reply, she cut her off before she could say something stupid.

"If Henry ever gets his memories back, he'll be so, so angry with me. He hates being deceived more than anything and I just want my son back, can't you understand that?"

"Of course I do," Emma acknowledged quickly. Oh God, did she understand. For one whole year she'd lived happily, thinking she hadn't given up her son, that she'd been the one to soothe his fears and raised him to be the beautiful boy he was. She hated the thought of his memories returning to him; his _real_ memories. The disappointment in his eyes as he realized that she _had_ given him up and she _hadn't_ been there for him. That he would no longer call her mom because Regina was the woman who had taken him in and loved him like her own.

"I understand, Regina, I really, really do. But Henry doesn't have his memories yet and he's a curious kid. He's getting suspicious. He's so smart; you raised him to be, but right now we need to give him something he can believe."

"We could tell him the truth. He's always been a believer. Maybe he'll believe now too," Regina offered hopefully, but Emma shook her head.

"Right now his life is normal. Do you really want to turn his whole word upside down when we don't even know when we'll be able to get his memories back? When Henry remembers he'll understand. He's a smart kid; forgiving. Don't you think it's better that we give him an easy life for now, without confusion and uncertainty?"

Regina's hopeful expression fell away slowly. Emma was right of course; as his mother she had to think of what was best for Henry, not herself, even if it was terrifying and heartbreaking to imagine him shunning her again.

She smoothed down her skirt and flicked her hair back as she took a steadying breath and let the reality of their situation settle in her mind and around her heart. Yes, it was best this way. She sent Emma a smirk as she stated "Well, at least the curse was good for something."

The sheriff quirked her brow in a silent question.

"It let me put some more sense into you."

Emma grinned at the sense of normalcy the barb gave her. She had always secretly liked sassy Regina.

"Well, how about I take you to dinner so we can really put that to the test?" she asked teasingly, watching the other woman over exaggerate an eye roll.

"How very conventional and boring," Regina replied, putting on a face of disapproval that had the sheriff laughing.


	4. Chapter 4

"This was a bad idea, wasn't it?" Emma half whispered across the table, watching as brows rose in obvious mockery.

"Oh no, it's excellent," Regina returned, voice filled to the brim with sarcasm. "Nothing like having a fake date in a diner filled with people who can't stand you. It will be wonderful, I'm sure."

The sheriff slumped in her seat.

"It's been a while since twenty people simultaneously tried to kill me with their stares, it was about time I was reminded of the feeling."

The mayor sipped gingerly at her glass of water as she ignored everyone around them.

"Great," Emma muttered as she glanced around, a few people looking quickly away, but several not even bothering to conceal that they were watching them like hawks, not a single one of them looking pleased.

Regina hummed her agreement. "Yes, as far as wooing goes, I must say you're off to a wonderful start."

Emma glowered at her even as she sank a little further down in her seat, wondering how the other woman could appear so aloof under such intense, scrutinizing stares.

* * *

This was officially the most awkward date she'd ever been on. Well, it was high up there at least. She didn't know what to say to Regina at all and all the people around them, silently judging – or maybe not so silently – set her on edge. On a real date you typically tried to get to know the other person, but she didn't feel like she could actually ask the mayor about much of anything since they were more or less being monitored where they were sitting. She wasn't stupid enough to think she would get anything even remotely personal from the former Queen with so many people who didn't care abouther sitting so close by.

She had tried to initiate a conversation about Henry because the love for him was one thing they definitely had in common, but she had quickly dropped that approach at the pain and sadness it brought to the woman's eyes, even if Regina had tried to hide it with smiles. As long as he didn't have his memories, Henry would no doubt always be a sore spot for the woman who'd raised him for so many years.

And so the dinner had been spent mostly in awkward silence and polite questions and gestures that made Emma cringe internally. She almost felt bad for the relieved breath she released when Ruby brought the check over, if not for the fact Regina looked almost as glad as she felt that they'd soon be away from harsh, badly concealed stares and stilted conversations.

* * *

"So…" Emma stated, right hand fiddling awkwardly with her left one as her eyes flickered around to take in everything but the woman towering two steps over her on the front porch. Regina arched her brows in a silent question, but the corners of her lips were quirked just slightly in a knowing - almost taunting - way.

"I guess…I'll be going then?" she offered, frowning when her voice came out a little squeakier than normal, as if this had actually been a real date and she was the nervous boy wondering what to do next.

"That is generally what happens when it's not your home, yes," Regina snarked, finding the sheriff's uncomfortable restlessness utterly amusing. Emma simply glared at her and said nothing, the silence around them filled with uncertainty as they eyed each other carefully.

"Should I…Should we kiss?" Emma whispered, her hands disappearing inside her jeans pockets as she looked almost shyly up at the other woman through her lashes.

Regina couldn't keep her eyes from widening at the suggestion as she quickly hissed out a defensive "I think not, Miss Swan" that made the blonde bristle. "A kiss usually follows a successful date and I think we can both agree that this was not," she hurried to amend, not wishing to start a fight in front of her house where prying eyes could see.

Emma rolled her eyes, but silently agreed that if this was the real thing she would have failed miserably. "I guess I'll have to try to make it up to you next time," she stated with a quirk of her lips.

"Awfully sure of yourself, aren't you Sheriff?" Regina teased back, fighting to hold back her smile. The blonde shrugged her shoulders casually.

"Well, you know, apparently we're dating so that gives me some time to impress you."

"We'll see," the mayor hummed, shooting Emma a look that said she wasn't so sure she'd be able to. "Goodnight, Sheriff."

Emma grinned wide. "Goodnight, Madame Mayor."

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Henry asked as soon as his mom walked through the door to their rented room, smirking when she jumped in surprise.

"Shouldn't you be asleep or something?"

He rolled his eyes and offered an expression that told her just how stupid she was being before prodding impatiently with a "Well?"

Emma released a sigh as she tossed off her jacket and moved past him to fall down on the small couch, ruffling his hair as she went.

"You messed up," Henry stated as he ducked away and tried to smooth back his hair before giving her a disappointed look and plopping down next to her.

"Well, not necessarily _messed up_, but it didn't exactly go great either."

"So she doesn't want to see you again?" he inquired softly, trying to hide his frown. Hadn't the mayor just agreed with him to go easy on his mom? He had warned her.

Emma side-eyed him skeptically. "It's kinda freaky how invested you are in this."

Henry gave her a sheepish look before patting her arm almost condescendingly, reminding the sheriff of Regina. "I just want you to be happy, mom, and you guys are clearly into each other."

"Yeah, well, my chances aren't blown yet," she acknowledged as she pushed his hand away and gave him a mock glare for daring to make fun of her. She was the adult after all. "Just don't meddle or embarrass me, alright?"

Henry tried to look offended and innocent all at once, resulting in a ridiculous expression that had Emma burst out in loud laughter before she pulled him into an impromptu hug.

"I love you, kid, you know that right?"

"Aww, mo-om," Henry whined as he pretended to pull away from her in disgust.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey," Emma offers in greeting when her former room-mate turned mom opens the door. Snow's face lights up and the sheriff is ushered inside and into a chair before a cup of almost freshly brewed coffee is dumped in her hands.

"Emma, honey, what can I do for you?" the pixie-haired woman asks exuberantly and the blonde has to fight the urge to draw away from the overly cheerful woman that is apparently her mom. She's not sure she'll ever fully come to terms with that, but whatever.

"Well, uh, here's the thing," she starts, suddenly feeling silly at the idea of what she's about to ask. "As you know, we're working on a way to get Henry his memories back, but while they elude him we have to make a few adjustments."

Snow gives her a look she doesn't know how to interpret. "And by 'we' I'm guessing we're talking about you and Regina?"

"Right," Emma replies, feeling suddenly as if she's being scolded, and worrying her fingers through a few of her blonde curls. "Well, anyway, I just wanted to do something nice for Regina since she's obviously having a hard time right now-"

Snow's eyebrows lift almost to her hairline and the sheriff feels her ears heat up under the intense gaze of her 'I'm-the-same-age-as-you' mother. Thank God her hair hides them so the woman doesn't see how hard this is for her.

"And since you've known her a long time I was just wondering if you could give me any pointers as to what she might like to do for fun." Emma pulls a face at her choice of words as she quickly amends it with "Well, what passes as fun for Regina."

"Oh," the pixie haired woman breathes somewhat surprised before she releases a barely heard sigh. "Well, I'm honestly not sure what she likes to do. It's always just been work and Henry." A thoughtful look passes over pale features. "Although she's always loved animals. Horses. She's an excellent rider."

"Horses, of course," Emma deadpans as her stomach knots itself. Of course the woman would like something like that. These people were from freaking fairy tale land and even if they weren't, it's kind of fitting for the mayor. Horses are strong and stubborn and full of pride. And fucking scary if she's being honest.

"Does Storybrooke even have a stable?"

"Oh yes, we have a wonderful stable," Snow confirms immediately with a bright smile that slowly falls away. "I mean, Mary Margaret didn't care much for it, but since the curse broke…Anyway, David and I would love to show you if you want?"

Emma barely manages to hide her grimace at the thought. "No, that's okay. Horses and me, we don't really mix that well."

Snow tries her best to hide her disappointment, but the blonde feels it anyway and can't help but feel a little bad.

"Anyway, I should probably get back to Henry," she states as she empties her cup and stands to put it in the sink. "I'll talk to you later," she promises before dodging out of the tiny apartment that they used to share.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Regina asks suspiciously as soon as she opens the door to find a grinning Emma Swan on the other side. The blonde looks her over, purses her lips, but doesn't say anything and she places her hands against her hips in one of her better imposing stands as she impatiently offers a "Well?"

Emma just shakes her head and tells her to come along, turning and walking down the pathway, forcing Regina to follow briskly unless she wants to be left behind.

"Absolutely not!" Regina exclaims, arms folding petulantly in front of her, when the sheriff pulls open the passenger door to her old bug and motions for the woman to take a seat. "I put on sensible clothes like you demanded, but I am _not_ getting inside that death-trap."

Emma snorts - because sensible clothes to Regina is clearly not the same as to her even though she did at least forego the high heels - before she shrugs and responds with "Well, I doubt you'd ever let me drive your precious Benz and since I'm the only one who knows where we're going you don't really have much of a choice."

The Mayor glares at her, eyes narrowing when the only effect it has is to make the blonde grin even wider.

"Look, I even cleaned the car for you."

"That is not the point, I-" Regina starts to argue automatically before she realizes what the woman just said and looks at her in genuine surprise. "You did?"

Emma looks insanely proud of herself as she motions for the brunette to take a look and confirm for herself. "Let it not be said that Emma Swan is a cheap date," she pronounces officially and despite herself, Regina can feel her lips curl upwards just slightly.

"The jury is still out on that," she offers with a sniff before she gingerly slides inside the car, admitting defeat. For now.

* * *

"I don't really like surprises," Regina hints once they've driven away from Mifflin Street and silence falls between them. Emma glances over at the prim woman in the passenger seat, before looking back at the road.

"Not all surprises are bad," she offers, understanding the feeling completely, but refusing to budge. This surprise will be a good one.

"I don't like not being prepared either," Regina adds and Emma barely refrains from sighing out loud.

"Look, Regina, you can pester me all you like, but I'm not gonna tell you okay? You'll see soon enough."

The brunette harrumphs before falling silent, grudgingly looking out the window and deciding not to engage in any further conversation if the blonde is gonna be difficult.

Inside, Emma is smirking at the utter childishness of the other woman. It's annoying, but also oddly endearing and almost a little cute. Better than a tantrum for sure, she reminds herself as she turns on the radio, volume low enough so they can talk if Regina changes her mind.

* * *

"Emma, you need to tell me where we're going," Regina says when she realizes they're driving towards the outskirts of the town. The blonde is surprised by the severity and slight panic in her voice.

"Relax, I'm not taking you across the town line and I'm not gonna take you into the woods and murder you," she tries to joke, but Regina has gone almost rigid in her seat as she stares ahead.

"This isn't a joke, Miss Swan, I'm serious," the brunette hisses and even if her posture and tone hadn't been a good enough indication of that, the use of her last name like when they hadn't shared a son certainly was.

Emma side-eyes the woman as she feels suddenly worried and nervous at the unusual behavior. "Someone told me you liked horses so I figured I'd take you to the stables. You can watch me make an ass of myself as I try to get on a horse and ride one."

She offers Regina a small smile, knowing that if nothing else, _that_ is sure to bring the woman some kind of joy, but when she glances over again all she sees is that most of the color has drained from the woman's face. It makes Emma frown with worry as she quickly pulls over to the side and stops the car so she can make sure the brunette is okay.

"Regina, what's wrong?" she prods, voice filled with concern as she turns her body to face her, but Regina refuses to meet her eyes, keeping her gaze firmly planted forwards.

"We can't go to the stables."

"Why not, what's wrong?"

"You need to take me back." Emma automatically reaches out for her when her voice cracks, but the Mayor draws as far away as she can get and the blonde pulls her hand back, trying not to let the rejection sting.

"Tell me what's going on," she pleads, but Regina is starting to shiver now and she can feel her own panic growing because it looks like Regina might actually begin to cry and what the hell was going on?

"I need to go, I can't go to the stables, I have to go," Regina mumbles nonsensically and the sheriff is damn near bursting with questions and worry.

"Okay, alright, we're not going to the stables, I'll take you home," Emma promises, but apparently it falls on deaf ears because the woman's lips move silently and then purple smoke fills the car.

Emma coughs and blinks – a vague taste of apples on her tongue – before the smoke disappears and she realizes that so has Regina.


End file.
